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Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future, the "air was always clean and the sky was always blue." In fact, every single man, woman, and child in town was happy. This was all thanks to a certain Herbie Snoodleman, inventor of the SnoodleMobile. Quite the sensation and featured in all the major newspapers and magazines of the day, the SnoodleMobile—affectionately referred to by the townsfolk as simply the Snoodle—was indeed a revolutionary form of transportation. And what was the secret of the Snoodle? It was powered merely by noodles. Drivers were even able to add any special sauce of their choosing when powering up their Snoodle. And if that weren't enough, after driving home, by pushing a simple button, a "fresh and delicious bowl of noodles and sauce" would easily serve a hungry family of four.
Before the technological advance that was the Snoodle, everyone had been driving around in the smelly, stinky KrautMobiles—which ran on sauerkraut—and which left everyone in town extremely cranky. Because of his success, Mr. Snoodleman opened lots and lots of noodle shops. But even more proudly, he opened the Snoodle Kidoodle Noodle Art Museum—the first museum of its kind to feature only art made from noodles, also known as Noodle Art. People lined up for hours just to be able to see the Kidnoodle Lisa, the most famous work of art featured there. Of course, all of this made Stinky Sour Croodleman, inventor of the now-defunct KrautMobile, very unhappy. After even more silly characters showed up, including world-famous art restoration specialist Pierre Le'Toodle and his poodle, Schnoodle, it soon became obvious that things were not going to go as planned for Sour Croodleman. Thanks to the art restorer's pink, fluffy canine and its love for the taste and smell of sauerkraut, everything worked out in the end, though, and the town celebrated with delicious bowls of noodles.
This delightful, colorful, and fantastical children's picture book by author Joseph is quite a treat for all of the senses. And this holds true for the youngest of young readers and those little ones to whom this delightful book is read. Moreover, the book will likely prove equally enjoyable to any adult choosing to share aloud this clever creation with its fun wordplay and rhyme as they watch smiles light up faces and listen to the giggles of their youthful audience. Featuring a cast of hilarious, over the top characters and set in a world where delicious noodles (of all kinds) are king, the sheer bold colors of artist Andy Case's illustrations accompany and enhance an already-splendid tale by Joseph in which whimsy seems the name of the game and silly yet clever wordplay entices, from the first imaginative page to the last. The author, who writes that his stories for children "lean on the concepts of crankiness and survival—which was ever-present in his childhood," excels at developing a quirky narrative, which proves to be nothing less than a fun, funny, and highly entertaining read. Joseph's colorful creation is a must for children and adults alike.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review